Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: DPd

Inscriptions DPd, DPe, DPf,
and DPg on the southern terrace wall of Persepolis

In ca.521,
the Persian king Darius
I the Great ordered that a new alphabet, the Aryan
script, was to be developed. This was used for a small corpus of inscriptions,
known as the Achaemenid
Royal Inscriptions. An overview of all inscriptions can be found here.

In the following text, to be found on the terrace
walls of Persepolis,
Darius asks the gods to protect Persia; in the sequel (DPe),
and tells about the size of his empire.

Inscription DPd

Auramazdâ \ vazraka \
hya \ mathišta \ bag

ânâm \ hauv \ Dârayavaum
\ xšâyathi

yam \ adadâ \ haušaiy
\ xšaçam \ frâba

ra \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ
\ Dârayavau

š \ xšâyathiya \ thâtiy
\ Dârayavauš \

xšâyathiya \ iyam \ dahyâuš
\ Pâr

sa \ tyâm \ manâ
\ Auramazdâ \ frâba

ra \ hyâ \ naibâ
\ uvaspâ \ umarti

yâ \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ
\ manac

â \ Dârayavahauš
\ xšâyathiyahy

â \ hacâ \ aniyanâ
\ naiy \ tarsat

iy \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš
\ xšâya

thiya \ manâ \ Auramazdâ
\ upastâm \

baratuv \ hadâ \ vithaibiš
\ bagai

biš \ utâ \ imâm
\ dahyâum \ Aura

mazda \ pâtuv \ hacâ
\ hainây

â \ hacâ \ dušiyârâ
\ hacâ \ dra

ugâ \ abiy \ imâm
\ dahyâum \ mâ

\ âjamiyâ \ mâ
\ hainâ \ mâ \ duš

iyâram \ mâ \ drauga
\ aita \ adam \

yânam \ jadiyâmiy
\ Auramazd

âm \ hadâ \ vithaibiš
\ bagaibiš \ a

itamaiy \ yânam \ Auramazdâ
\ dadât

uv \ hadâ vithaibiš \
bagaibiš \

A great god is Ahuramazda,
the greatest of the gods, who created king Darius
and gave him his kingdom. By the favor of Ahuramazda, Darius is king.

King Darius: This country Persia which Ahuramazda gave to me is a good
country, full of good horses, full of good men. By the favor of Ahuramazda
and of me, king Darius, this country fears no other country.

King Darius says: May Ahuramazda and the gods of the royal house come
to my aid. May Ahuramazda protect this country from invaders, from famine,
and from the Lie! May there never be upon this country an army, famine,
or the Lie! This I pray as a favor from Ahuramazda and the gods of the
royal house. May Ahuramazda and the gods of the royal house do me this
favor!

The text of this inscription is continued in
DPe.
(There are similar inscriptions in Elamite and Babylonian, DPf
and DPg.)